Jake Rogers just hit a 2-run homer to put Quad Cities on the board. It's his 3rd of the season. He hit 3 homers in 46 games after signing last year.
His swing doesn't excite me as much as it does everyone else. He has started to really flash power and has strong wrists; which are very promising. I think he is a top prospect, he just reminds me of Hunter Pence. He also spends more time on his knees than my ex.
Hector Perez vs. Peoria: 4.1 IP, 2 H, ER, 4 BB, 4 K Ryan Hartman is in as the Banditos lead 9-1. Ray Henderson-Lozano has 2 homers (solo, 2-run). He was a 22nd-round pick in last year's draft who is normally a catcher, but he's in the lineup at 2B tonight.
He's having trouble adjusting bat down to ball other than either extending stride or bending his left knee a lot. Expect he'll have to make an adjustment in AA once he starts seeing more offspeed stuff.
Longenhagen called Rogers the best defensive catcher prospect he has ever seen. If he can hit even a little bit (.700 OPSish), he will establish himself as an everyday option in the future.
That's not an insubstantial leap for the guy to make. His career college slash line was .233/.333/.309 (.642 OPS). I'm hugely skeptical of guys who can't hit in college. Even guys at good programs that hit well in college hit a wall offensively (e.g. Conrad Gregor) so Rogers has to overcome ALOT to make it to the bigs as an every day player. To put it another way, if Rogers hitting for a .700 OPS was that straight forward he'd have been a no doubt first rounder given his defensive prowess. Flip side: Some baseball writers preferred Stubbs to Rogers defensively right now.
Anyone know why the AAA team's pitching staff looks so mixed up early in the season? They've been pulling in warm bodies to throw pitches every which way possible: minor FA signees (David Martinez), early call-ups (Kevin Comer), position players pitching (Aplin, Brignac, White). Is it a rash of starter injuries or are the starters just getting blown up every start, overtaxing the bullpen?
Don't know for sure, but would guess both. Rodgers and Paulino are both out. Only 1 of the healthy starters is averaging 5 innings (barely at that).
College baseball players are splitting their time between baseball and being a student. In pro ball, players's full time focus is baseball. Coaching and training should also be better than that in college. If the players make the cut at the end of the year, they need to show improvement. In his milieu, prospects can make the next big step in their development. Hats of to Jake and the Astros development team if Jake can become an average or better hitter.
Dawson extended his hitting streak to 10 games today. Derek Fisher just hit his 4th homer for Fresno.
That's true to an extent I'm sure, but hitters hit. Players that have contact issues in college tend to have contact issues in the minors and the big leagues. Guys that make a leap for the reasons you mention often have huge offensive carrying tools. A guy like Derek Fisher was considered to have unrealized potential because he was already a high round (6th) round pick out of HS due his massive tools. Rogers is said to have some raw power but Longenhagen gave him horrible grades on his offensive tools: Hit: 20/30, Raw Power: 45/50, Game Power: 20/40, Run: 30/30. It's a monster win if he can become even a below average (40-grade) hitter because with his defense that plays as an average starter. Being a 50 hitter (average) is 100+% outcome for him currently.
They said this about Cionel Perez. They didn't want him pitching in cold as he hadn't acclimated to colder US climate yet.
From a March 14th article http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/219348730/astros-prospect-forrest-whitley-focused/ The Astros would like to send him to Class A Quad Cities to spend the bulk of his season, but he wouldn't go to Iowa until the weather warms up later in the spring. Nothing has been decided, though.
